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It was later revealed that Farrell twice asked GM Alex Anthopoulos for an opportunity to pursue managing in Boston, which he described as a “dream job.” Farrell was the Red Sox pitching coach from 2007 to 2010.

When the deal with Boston for Farrell was finalized, Anthopoulos said all other members of the coaching staff would be free to negotiate with other teams until a new manager was hired. Typically, managers are given the opportunity to hire their own staff.

Butterfield, who was also the Jays’ infield instructor, had been with the club for the last 11 seasons.

Highly regarded within professional baseball, the native New Englander — he’s from Bangor, Ma. — is widely viewed as a strong managerial candidate.

Prior to joining the Jays on June 3, 2002, he was a member of Buck Showalter’s coaching staffs in both New York and Arizona, and was also a manager in the Yankees minor-league system.

In addition to his time as base coach with the Jays, he also served as bench coach under John Gibbons and Cito Gaston.

After receiving the loudest ovation of any member of the coaching staff on Opening Day at the Rogers Centre, Butterfield told The Star’s Richard Griffin he was happy in Toronto.

“I love the town, I love the people here, I love the way I’ve been treated by everyone in this organization,” he said.

He said he felt comfortable in Toronto, despite twice being passed over for the manager’s job.

“I really love the people here,” he said. “The way they have treated me. I love the city. These people seem like home to me. They remind me of people in my hometown, blue collar, passionate.”

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